👋 Rimaykullayki!*
Welcome to Monday, where Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are in a final sprint on the eve of the U.S. presidential election, Israel officially cut ties with UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA despite warnings of famine in Gaza and the world of music mourns the death of a legendary producer. We also feature an opinion piece by Yemeni journalist Afrah Nasser who explains for Al-Manassa why, from where she sits in the world, all American presidents are the same.
[*Quechua]
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🗞️ FRONT PAGE
“Overflowing outrage.” Like many newspapers in Spain (and other countries in Europe), Valencia-based daily Levante-EMV dedicates its front page to the visit of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia to flood-hit Valencia and how they were met with the anger of the locals. As they walked through the town of Paiporta, one of the worst-affected in the region, the royal couple was pelted with mud and other objects by angry protesters who also shouted “murderer” and “shame.” Many feel there was a lack of warning before the disaster and insufficient support from authorities after the floods. In the face of rising discontent, the government announced on Monday morning it would deploy 2,500 troops, in addition to the 5,000 already mobilized this weekend, to help distribute food and water, clean up streets and protect shops and properties from looters.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Trump and Harris to hold final campaign events on election eve. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are delivering their last pitches to voters across key battleground states on Monday on the last day of campaigning, with Harris in Pennsylvania and Trump in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan. On Sunday, the Democrat candidate promised to do everything in her power “to end the war in Gaza” at a rally at Michigan State University, in a last attempt to reach voters disgruntled by the ongoing genocide. Read more in this Les Echos reportage: "Worse v. Even Worse" — How Michigan’s Arab Voters Are Choosing Between Evils.
• Israel officially ends agreement with Palestinian relief agency. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Monday it had canceled a 1967 agreement that regulated its relations with the main UN relief organization for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). “UNRWA is part of the problem in the Gaza Strip and not part of the solution,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz was quoted as saying. This comes as the World Food Program warned on Monday that the humanitarian situation in Gaza “could soon escalate into famine.” Read more in this reportage in Gaza translated from Arabic by Worldcrunch: Autumn In Gaza: Families On The Brink Of A Humanitarian Catastrophe.
• Germany’s top diplomat in Kyiv, Russian air attacks on Kharkiv wound at least 15. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived on Monday in the Ukrainian capital city in a show of European support for Ukraine, vowing that Berlin’s backing would remain steadfast. This visit comes ahead of a crucial U.S. election that could bring far-reaching changes in Washington’s policy toward the Ukraine-Russia war. Meanwhile, Russian forces attacked Ukraine’s second largest city and the surrounded region with guided aerial bombs on Sunday, Kharkiv Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
• Moldova pro-EU leader Sandu wins re-election after meddling allegations. Maia Sandu beat Alexandr Stoianoglo, her rival backed by the traditionally pro-Russian Socialist Party, at Sunday’s tense presidential runoff, in what the incumbent called a “lesson in democracy.” The vote took place two weeks after a referendum which backed joining the EU by a razor-thin margin and a first round marred by persistent allegations of interference denied by Russia.
• Terror trial over beheading of French teacher. Eight people are going on trial in the French capital city on Monday on terrorism charges over the gruesome 2020 murder of Samuel Paty. The teacher was killed by an Islamic extremist after showing caricatures of Islam’s prophet to his pupils as part of a class on freedom of expression. Those on trial include friends of assailant Abdoullakh Anzorov, an 18-year-old Russian of Chechen origin who was shot dead by police, who allegedly helped purchase weapons for the attack. From the Worldcrunch vault, here’s an editorial translated from French on the brutal killing that shocked the country.
• Musical icon Quincy Jones dies at 91. The U.S. musician and producer, who worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and many others, won 28 Grammy awards during his 75-year-long career and was named as one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century by Time magazine. Jones died Sunday night at his home in Bel Air, California, his family said.
• Chinese astronauts return to Earth after 6 months in space. Three Chinese astronauts landed in China’s inner Mongolian region on Monday after a six-month stay from the Tiangong space station, where they conducted dozens of experiments on space medicine, basic physics and space life sciences. The astronauts had welcomed a replacement three-person crew last week for the latest six-month mission.
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
£150 million
In an address to the international police organization Interpol, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to announce plans on Monday to double UK border security funding, going from 75 million pounds ($97 million) to 150 million pounds ($194 million), in an effort to curb Channel crossings. The money will fund high-tech surveillance equipment and 100 specialist investigators. Starmer also wants the focus to be redirected towards people-smuggling gangs who represent a serious threat to global security and should be treated like terror networks.
📹 ON THIS DAY VIDEO — 4 HISTORY-MAKING EVENTS, IN 57 SECONDS
We’re introducing a new daily video series, where we (rapidly!) cover four notable events — heavy and light — that happened on this day, through the ages. We hope you like it!
➡️ Watch the video: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
🇺🇸 “I hate all American presidents.” A Yemeni journalist says that whether it is Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, the actual decisions of U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East always follow the same cynical script.
— DARAJ
💻 A recent AI-generated video showing giants building the pyramids has revived questions around the myths and science behind these mysterious monuments.
— AL-MANASSA
🏞️ Whether by city ordinances, jurisprudence or constitutional law, more and more rivers are granted the same rights and protections as human beings.
— LA MAREA
📣 VERBATIM
"We are countering this brutality with our humanity and support."
— Before embarking on her eighth visit to Kyiv, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock pledged Berlin's continued backing. As Ukraine is set to enter its third winter of war amid the uncertainties over Washington's support after the U.S. election if Republican Trump wins, Baerbock tried to share reassuring words for the war-torn country. "We are countering this brutality with our humanity and support, so that Ukrainians can not only survive the winter, but so that their country can survive. Because they are also defending the freedom of all of us in Europe," she said on Monday. Today, Germany is Ukraine's top donor of military aid in Europe.
✍️ Newsletter by Anne-Sophie Goninet & Laure Gautherin
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